Photo Credit: Jerome Miron/US Presswire
Yep. Here we are in the middle of NCAA March Madness and I’m writing about football. Surprise, surprise. Listen, I can’t even begin to focus on anything other than football at the moment. All the NFL drama has been all-consuming, and let’s face it, I’m 100% in football mode at the moment. That being said, all the trades, penalties, contract negotiations, and everything in between have made me think about the draft, which, by the way, is right around the corner. So, in light of that, let’s talk Robert Griffin III vs. Andrew Luck, because talking about quarterbacks is always relevant.
Obviously, Baylor’s Pro Day is a good place to start since all eyes are on RG3. He didn’t disappoint, either. He’ll go first or second in this year’s draft, no doubt, and he reaffirmed why that is by basically doing what he did all season…rocking it out. The talented QB completed 78 of 84 passes and did exactly what he set out to do…wow scouts and coaches. Redskins’ head coach and owner Mike Shanahan and Dan Snyder were both watching from the sideline and probably took close note of how he would fit into Washington’s offense. I’ll be blut. They need him. This kid is a total catch. He has the ability, with strong mentorship, to turn into a prolific NFL quarterback. Dare I say he’s even better than Andrew Luck? Yep. I just went there.
Alright, so speaking of Andrew Luck, let’s talk about Stanford’s Pro Day. Yesterday afternoon, he proved why he’s so highly touted and well-respected as a quarterback. He had 125 NFL scouts, executives and coaches watch him yesterday…chew on
Photo Credit: SportsIllustrated.cnn.com
that for a second. He completed 46 of 50 passes (in chilly weather with wind, no less). Interesting, by the way, that the Redskins’ Snyder and Shanahan were also at Luck’s pro day. He clearly shined yesterday, but it would’ve been hard to do anything but that. He’s an incredible talent.
Luck is, undoubtedly, NFL ready and comes from a Pro-style offense, which would have him ready to go from day one. Looking at stats, he and RG3 are very similar; however, is he really more accurate than RG3? He’s certainly not more athletic. Maybe Luck is slightly more NFL ready, but are RG3′s instincts better? Don’t instincts trump “readiness” (which is something that can change once a guy actually hits the NFL gridiron)? Here’s the thing, and it’s particularly important to note when we are talking about Indy and their first overall pick, Luck is a traditional drop-back passer, whereas RG3 is more of a run-style athlete a la Michael Vick and Cam Newton. So what does owner Jim Irsay do? I think he’ll take Luck, but I think it’ll be a close run between him and RG3. Welcome to the NFL, guys.
Regardless of who goes to the Colts, both quarterbacks will bring immense talent and leadership to whatever team they land on. These guys have potential of becoming superstars, who will have major impacts on the direction of whatever franchise they play for. It’ll be an interesting ride to watch these two from draft, to team, to potentially the Super Bowl. Stay tuned, I’m sure there will be much more in the Luck vs. RG3 race.
Also – a programming note – keep your eyes peeled at the beginning of April as BeyondU starts its Path to the Draft series.
Ari Russell
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